The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1612: Chapter 27: The Kensington Scandal (2)

Ledley nodded slightly with reluctance and said, ”Yes, it’s me.”

The man raised an oyster shell, slurping the juice into his mouth: ”No need to call me sir, just call me Jones, or if you prefer, call me Breden. We’ve been on equal footing for a long time now, you’re a Police Superintendent, and so am I, there’s no superior-subordinate relationship.”

Although Jones said this, how could Ledley dare to agree, especially at this moment, he wouldn’t dare to be negligent towards this officer who had been loyal to Sir Arthur Hastings for the past three years.

”When I was a patrolman at Whitechapel Police Station, you were the Chief of Police. Later, when you got promoted to Police Superintendent of Tower Hamlets, I went with you as your secretary. Although I later had some luck and climbed slightly faster than you, moving to the Police Intelligence Department, how could I display my seniority in front of you?”

Jones heard this, stared at Ledley for a while, and then said: ”Really? I’d forgotten why you climbed so fast.”

Ledley awkwardly opened his mouth halfway and shifted the topic: ”Has the wound on your face healed?”

”No big deal.” Jones put the last oyster into his mouth: ”Working in Tower Hamlets, it’s inevitable to encounter some accidents, just a cut at the corner of my mouth, not getting shot in the chest, nothing serious at all.”

Jones didn’t mention Arthur at all, yet his words were laden with implications, leaving Ledley unsure of how to respond, so he could only keep smiling apologetically.

Jones lit up his pipe, took a puff, and asked, ”You’re worried?”

Ledley was silent for a while, eventually nodding: ”I’m a bit unsure how to face the Sir, especially on an occasion like today...”

Jones gave him a once-over: ”Then go back first and visit him privately when you’ve thought it through. For the sake of working together for many years, I’ll handle the rest for you.”

Hearing this, Ledley was still not at ease: ”This... thank you so much, but, how do you plan to explain to the Sir?”

”How else? Just tell the truth.”

Jones said: ”Don’t try to deceive him, otherwise when he finds out the truth, things will only get worse. What you’ve done isn’t that big of a deal, I’ve made mistakes worse than yours before. The Sir almost wanted to tear me apart, but in the end, here I am, standing in front of you, smoking and eating oysters. I just had a chat with the Sir half an hour ago, and one thing he said stuck with me: My life experience has taught me that people without faults often have few virtues. There’s no such thing as a flawless saint, although many Scotland Yard officers think he is, the saint himself doesn’t believe they are credible or useful. Do your job well and leave the rest to fate.”

Hearing this, Ledley’s heart finally settled, he let out a long sigh of relief: ”Understood, Sir. Then, this package is in your hands.”

Jones glanced at the briefcase: ”What’s hidden inside? The Sir is unlike us, he’s not interested in money.”

”Certainly not money,” Ledley replied slyly: ”It’s something the Sir likes, of course, I don’t mean the Foreign Secretary’s head.”

Jones weighed the bag in his hand: ”It doesn’t feel like it; a minister’s head shouldn’t contain this many things.”

Ledley, with a roguish grin, bid farewell to Jones: ”Then I’ll leave it to you. Please tell the Sir that I will soon procure more valuable items.”

Jones watched as he boarded the carriage, waving goodbye to Ledley. Only after confirming that his carriage turned the street corner did this officer, who had endured three years of humiliation, throw his cigarette to the ground and crush it to bits with his boot.

Jones pushed open the tavern’s door, went up the stairs, and walked into the entertainment room on the second floor.

Seeing Jones enter, Arthur gathered his playing cards and tossed them on the table, politely excusing himself to a few old Scotland Yard friends: ”Excuse me for a moment.”

He followed Jones into the smoking room, accepting the briefcase handed over to him: ”You talked with Ledley?”

”That guy should behave himself for a while.” Jones’ manner was much more adept than three years ago: ”He probably didn’t expect that even after three years away, you still wield such influence at Scotland Yard.”

Arthur pulled out a cigar box from his pocket, tossed one to Jones, and gestured for him to sit.

Arthur smiled and asked: ”So you expected it?”

Jones raised an eyebrow and sighed: ”Dreamed about it. I’ll speak frankly, Sir, even now, it feels like I’m dreaming. May I boldly ask, your gathering at the Trafalgar Tavern today, is it... paving the way for your return? Or are you about to move to the Home Office?”

Arthur, unabashedly flipping through the intelligence Ledley brought, replied: ”No one can say for sure about the future, the only thing certain is that Rowan’s blatant disregard for me, wholeheartedly purging Scotland Yard according to Whig Party’s wishes, won’t last long. It seems our dear Minister forgets that Scotland Yard officers swear allegiance to the King, not Parliament, upon taking their oath.”

Jones pondered Arthur’s words: ”Are you saying that the Tory Party is about to take power? But... isn’t it several years until the next election?”

Arthur glanced at Jones: ”It’s unrelated to the election, I’m simply displeased with his submissive stance towards the ruling party. Taking a bullet under the Tower of London wasn’t for him to have the opportunity to be the Whig Party’s lapdog, likewise, I don’t like him wagging his tail for the Tories. Since the police handbook clearly states Scotland Yard must remain politically neutral, then he shouldn’t treat it as mere lip service.”

Hearing this, Jones couldn’t help but advise softly: ”I don’t deny you’re right, but... you know, don’t you? Many officers attending today support you because they see you as a Tory...”

”Am I a Tory? Perhaps, but many also see me as a Whig.” Arthur shrugged: ”But, if by saying I’m a Tory you mean that I, like the Duke of Wellington, believe: party strife has greatly harmed the nation’s interests. Then yes, I’m a Tory, and I will be a Tory for the rest of my life.”

Upon hearing this, Jones relaxed: ”If that’s your stance, then I have nothing to worry about. Because for many officers, wherever the Duke of Wellington is, there is the Tory, therefore, you truly are an old Tory...”

”Hmm...” Arthur, holding the document, suddenly hesitated then smiled: ”It seems Ledley has been quite diligent recently. However, one cannot rule out this possibility...”

”What’s the matter?” Jones leaned forward.

Though he didn’t know what Arthur was planning, he knew that whenever this Scotland Yard legend was up to something, those not on his side were in for trouble.

Arthur poured a glass of wine: ”Nothing, just some typical gossip drama often occurring in middle-class families.”

”What do you mean? Jealousy between the wife and children’s tutor, or the maid pregnant by the master?”

Arthur glanced at Jones, commenting: ”I thought you didn’t usually read those. But no, it’s about a widow’s story.”

”Life is dull, one has to find some entertainment. Besides, the bureau confiscates piles of banned magazines every now and then, better to let them be of some use than to burn them all.” Jones responded with a smile: ”But, the widow’s story... I suppose you mean those smooth-talking widow hunters?”

”No, it’s about the widow and her male housekeeper.”

Arthur raised his glass, recounting the story provided in the document by someone claiming to be a ”Kensington Palace Servant”: ”A widow and her loyal and trustworthy male housekeeper, over time, their relationship began to harbor some elements of passion. The daughter witnessed their intimate behavior and told her female tutor and her mother’s long-time personal maid, the maid, shocked and angry, upon learning this, had to rebuke the mistress to save her.”

Upon hearing this, Jones was astonished: ”Are you serious? This story is even more bizarre than the ones in magazines. The first part makes sense, but how could a personal maid dare to scold the mistress?”

Arthur nodded slightly: ”You’re right, so the maid was immediately dismissed after this incident, and the female tutor became an eyesore to the mistress and the housekeeper. However, the female tutor was very clever, always cautious, striving not to make any mistakes that would give them an excuse to fire her. Yet, despite this, they still wanted to find someone else to replace her.”